Talor Gooch out of US Open after USGA “changes his exemption”

Talor Gooch says he has gone from IN the field for the 2023 US Open to OUT of it after the USGA altered his exemption.

Gooch, the winner of the most recent LIV Golf League event in Adelaide last weekend, made the claim during an appearance on The 73rd Hole Podcast.

The 29-year-old believed he would be playing at Los Angeles Country Club in June after qualifying for the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship last year prior to being suspended by the US-based circuit when he joined LIV.

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“I was hopeful after Augusta came out and announced their field – they announced that I was in the field via my world ranking but also via qualifying for the Tour Championship,” said Gooch.

“Obviously, I was suspended from the tour and wasn’t able to play but my body of work for the season. up to being banned from the tour was good enough to get me into the Tour Championship.

“I was glad that Augusta recognised that because, historically, up until this last year, if you make the Tour Championship, it gets you into The Masters, the US Open and the British Open.

“So when Augusta came out and made that decision, I was very optimistic that everybody else would follow suit.”

The R&A did so, honouring Gooch’s place in the field for this year’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.

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The USGA, however, has not.

“The USGA decided to go in a different direction and retroactively changed that rule,” he said. “Basically the rule now within the USGA states that you have to qualify for the Tour Championship and also be eligible to play.

A weekend to remember 🥇#LIVGolf @TalorGooch @RangeGoatsGC pic.twitter.com/55W3K9iL5v

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) April 23, 2023

“That was obviously disappointing because that changed rule only affected one person, which was me, so that was frustrating and tough because with LIV still not being rewarded with world ranking points, I have only two options to qualify for the US Open: via my world ranking, which is going to be very challenging, or trying to obviously go through the qualifying route of sectional qualifying.

“I’m hopeful that my ranking stays high enough for the next month that I get in. Time will tell on that.”

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Gooch added that he has not yet received an invite for next month’s US PGA Championship but is “hopeful” that will change over the next few weeks.

“I continue to hold out hope that the majors will do what’s right,” he said. “At Augusta, it was so apparent that having the best players in the world is more important than what tour you decide to play on.”

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor